Vehicle-rack.



No. 667,493. "Patented Feb. 5, |901. A. L. ucHER.

VEHICLE RACK.

(Appliation led May 28, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modal.)

Ferarri FFICE.

ALBERT L. BUOHER, OF NORTH BALTIMORE, OHIO.

VEHICLE-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,493, dated February5, 1901. Application filed May 28, 1900. Serial No. 18,313. (No model.)

T0 all whom it' may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. BCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Baltimore, in the county of Wood and State ofOhio,have invented a new and useful Vehicle- Rack, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in vehicle-racks.

The Aobject of the present invention is to improve the construction ofcombinationracks, more especially that shown and described in Patent No.636,949, granted to me November 14, 1899, to enable the rack sides andthe devices for securing the same to the sides of a wagon body or bed tobe readily engaged with and disengaged from the same, and to obviate thenecessity of employing bolts or similar fastening devices for effectingthis result.

The' invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a Wagon body or bedprovided with a rack constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one o f the devices forconnecting the sides of the rack with the wagon-body.

Likenumerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 1 designate rack sides hinged by the means hereinafter described tothe sides 2 of a wagon body or bed 3, as clearly shown in Fig. l of theaccompanying drawings, and the said rack sides are adapted to be swungupward to a vertical or approximately vertical position and to belowered to a slightlyinclined or approximately horizontal position orsecured at an intermediate point to adapt the wagon-body for the load tobe hauled. The rack is adapted to be arranged for accommodating a loadof hay, wood, grain, and various other classes of loads. The rack sidesare detachably clamped to the sides 2 of the wagon body or bed by meansof a series of clamps 4, preferably consisting of castings and providedat their tops with inwardlya extending jaws 5, having inwardly-extendingengaging portions or flanges 6, adapted to enter grooves 7 of the innerfaces of the sides 2 ofthe wagon body or bed, as clearly illustrated theupper edge and the depending vertical portion fits against the outerface of the side of the body or bed. The sides of the V-shaped portionare provided at the top of the clamp with upper eyes 10, and thedepending portion is provided at its bottom with an eye 11.

The eyes 10 receive a transverse pintle 12 for hinging a bar or member13 to the clamp, and the said bar or member, which is provided at itslower or inner end with an eye 14, has its outer portion angularly bentand offset to provide a keeper 15. The bar or member 13 is secured tothe cross-pieces or standards of the rack sides, and the keepers receivethe upper ends of adjusting and supporting links or braces 16, which arehinged to the bottoms of the clamps by being linked into the lower eyes11. By this construction the rack sides and the means for hinging andsecuring them to the sides of the wagon body or bed are connectedtogether and are adapted to be readily interlocked with and detachedfrom the said wagon body or bed. When the rack sides are removed, theycarry with them the clamps, the keepers, and the links, leaving thewagon body or bed entirely free, and when the rack sides are mounted onthe wagon body or bed their weight operates to hold the clamps firmly inengagement with the sides of the wagon body or bed and the groovesthereof. The clamps are arranged at a slight inclination to engage themwith the grooves, and in order to disengage them therefrom their lowerportions must be swung upward, so that there is no liability of theparts becoming accidentally disengaged from the sides of the wagon bodyor bed. This construction and arrangement also obviates the necessity ofproviding bolts or similar fastening devices for securing the clamps orirons to the body or bed, and the greater the load placed on the vehiclethe Ioo more securely will the clamps be engagetlwith the body or bed.The clamps may be arranged on an ordinary wagon body or bed or a frameor platform may be constructed to receive the same.

The standards or cross-bars of the rack sides are provided within. thekeepers with notches or rests 17, which may be of any desired num ber tosecure the necessary adjustments of the rack sides.

The platform or wagon -body has end or head racks 18 and 19 hinged toit, and these end or head racks, which may be constructed in anysuitable manner, preferably like those shown and described in theabove-mentioned patent, are composed of sections and are adapted to bearranged as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and they constitute endstandards when the parts are arranged to form a hayrack. The head or endracks are preferably secured to the sides of the platform or body byshort pivots, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

It will be seen that the vehicle-rack is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that the sides are detachably mounted onthe platform or body without employing bolts or similar fasteningdevices, and that the weight of the rack sides holds the clamps firmlyin engagement with the grooved sides of the said platform or body. Itwill also be apparent that when the rack sides are removed fronl thebody or platform they carry with them the clamps and the adjusting andsavage supporting links, leaving the body or platform entirely free.

l. In a vehicle-rack, the combination of a support or body provided atthe inner faces of its sides with grooves, clamps arranged on the sidesof the support or body and provided at their tops with jaws havingengaging portions or lianges extending into the said grooves, rack sideshinged to the clamps, and means for adjustably connect-ing the racksides with the clamps, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle-rack, the combination of a clamp composed of asubstantially V-shaped body portion provided at the top with oppo` siteeyes and having a bottom eye, and a jaw connecting the upper terminalsof the sides of the body portion and extending inward and adapted toengage the inner faces of the sides of a wagon body or bed, a bar ormember having an eye and hinged between the upper eyes of the clamp, andabrace or link hinged to the bottom eye of the clamp and adapted tosupport a rack side, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto axed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses,

ALBERT L. BCHER.

Witnesses:

W. H. MGMILLEN, J. W. STONER.

